Grace Strabala-Karosich '26 Recruiting Profile

Hi there, I'm Grace!

     I am entering into my Senior year at Douglas High School in Northern Nevada.  I run the 100m, 200m, 400m, 4x100mr 4x200mr and long jump and am currently ranked #6 in Northern Nevada, for 100m & 8th in 200m. Last season was a particularly difficult one, having lost my Sprinting Coach to a rival school (he left to coach football there) and then my jumping coach left mid-season to join my sprinting coach, so there was very minimal coaching, and my times suffered greatly because of it. Even so, I was still awarded the MVP, Top Point's, All State 2nd Team for the 200m & 4x100m, NIAA All State Academic Team for Track & Field, Top Sprinter, Top Jumper awards for the season and at the beginning of the season was given the honor of being the girls "sprints & jumps" Captain!

   With the 2025 season behind me, I am already training with a fantastic strength and sprinting trainer who is helping to get me ready for Winter track and into next year; I grow and thrive on corrections for my events and missing that from my coaches was detrimental.  I am confident that with this training, I will get better and faster for next year.  I was really disheartening to chase the girls I domintated last year, but I never gave up, always looking for ways to be "extra", was in the gym after practice every day doing anything extra I could to get stronger, and at the end of the season, I was able to break my 200m PR (25:45) from last year, so I was happy about that; however, I did not get the opportunity to see what my 100m or 400m times were after all my extra gym work.  My extra speed and strength caused some issues with my long jump steps, and couldn't quite figure out how to fix them, and scratched every jump I did the last two meets leading up to regionals.  

The last 3 seasons, I was given the honor of my schools "Top Female Sprinter" with my name added to the plaque and this year "Top Jumper" was added and it hangs proudly in the school commons.  During our EOY banquet, when awarded "Top Female Sprinter", Coach Tretton referred to me as "the hardest working and fastest female she has coached in 20yrs".  Last year, Coach Nelms had the same remarks and included "I'm hungry, humble and the hardest worker in the room", and Nelms acknowledged the fact that I "personally earned 127 points for my team (not including relays)"; I won every race I ran, except 2 last year.  I didn't realize that at the time, of course I love to win, but my goal is always to be better and faster than my last race and try to apply everything I learn in order to accomplish that. 

You can follow me on YouTube where I try to keep all my lastest races and basketball highlights up to date:

YouTube:   https://www.youtube.com/@GraceStrabala-Karosich

Athletic.Net for Track: https://www.athletic.net/athlete/19957205/track-and-field/high-school

Max Preps for G Basketball: https://www.maxpreps.com/nv/minden/douglas-tigers/athletes/grace-strabala-karosich/?careerid=2654vssikqik4

My Instagram is:   grace_strabala_karosich

       When I am not running track, you can find me on the Varsity tennis courts; a new sport I decided to do this year; Not only did I make the varsity girls team, but I made the small travel team as well.  You can find also me starting as point-guard and forward on the DHS Varsity basketball team, playing varsity tennis (this year is my first), volunteering in my community and in my church, playing the guitar & ukulele, camping and hiking with my family, working part-time at our local coffee shop and serving the community through my church youth group and Leadership. My 2024 summer I went to Belize on a 10-day mission trip with my church youth group to serve the people of the Seine Bight Village, it was an incredible, humbling experience and I hope to be able to do more of these in the future. In the summer of 2023, after a rigorus application process, I was selected to represent Nevada at the FBI Youth Leadership camp at Quantico, VA for 10-days witih 57 other youth from around the world; which was an incredible experience and an honor to have had that opportunity.  During the leadership camp, we learned a very condensed version of what the future FBI agents learn, ran "the yellow brick road" course, where I was the first girl to finish and in the Top 10.   

   For the past 4 years, I've helped coach the 6th-8th grade girls basketball team at our two valley middle schools and am coaching this year.  I love being able to help the younger girls learn plays, ball handling, shooting techniques, teamwork and generally get better every time they hit the court; watching their love of the game grow brings me so much joy!  Additionally, I love helping and mentoring younger track teammates; the younger girls look up to me and see me as a rolemodel, often times seeking my input on how they can improve.  I hope that my willingness to help the younger girls will give them the desire to pass along what they learn to younger athletes as well.  

     I work hard at everything I do, and know my coaches see me as a very coachable athlete and leader to my teammates.  I've been blessed to have had great coaches who saw potential in me and helped be the best athlete I can be.  During the fall, while I am not playing basketball or track, I am working out, building muscles, flexibility and agility so I can be stronger for the up coming seasons.  I now have a private strength and conditioning coach and am also working with a jumping coach.  This past and every season I will continue to work hard and do better each meet/game, I will continue to put in the extra work, seek out resources I feel can to help me get where I want to be, and get me to my goal of being the best athlete I can be.

Blessings, 

Grace